York medical expert recognised for excellence in research

Posted on 11 May 2015

A University of York immunologist has been elected to the Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences for his contribution to the advancement of medical science.

Professor Paul Kaye, Director Centre for Immunology and Infection, part of the University’s Department of Biology and Hull York Medical School, is one of 48 researchers from across the UK who have been honoured by the Academy.

Academy Fellows are elected for excellence in medical research, for innovative application of scientific knowledge or for their conspicuous service to healthcare.

Professor Kaye, whose research focuses on identifying new approaches to prevent and treat the parasitic disease leishmaniasis, said: “ It is a privilege to be elected to the Academy, and particularly pleasing that our work on one of the major neglected diseases of poverty has been recognized in this way. I am indebted to the collective efforts of everyone that has trained in my lab over the years, and to the many outstanding scientific colleagues that have played a role in our research.”

Professor Sir John Tooke PMedSci, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences said, “The Academy of Medical Sciences champions the excellence and diversity of medical science in the UK, and this is clearly demonstrated in this year’s cohort of new Fellows. Their broad range of expertise and fantastic achievements to date shows just how strong the Fellowship is. Their election is a much deserved honour, and I know they will contribute greatly to the Academy. I am delighted to welcome them all to the Fellowship, and look forward to working with them in the future.”

This year, 17 (35 per cent) of the new Fellows are women, compared with 23.2 per cent of bioscience professors in the UK.

The new Fellows will be formally admitted to the Academy at a ceremony on Wednesday 1 July 2015.

The Fellows were selected from a pool of 362 candidates.

Further information:

This year Fellows were chosen from 362 candidates. The seven Sectional Committees met in March to consider potential Fellows for 2015 entry to the Academy. Three nominators from within the Fellowship must back each candidate. The Academy Registrar, Professor Moira Whyte, Professor of Respiratory Medicine, University of Sheffield, oversees the election. The election brings the number of Fellows to 1169.

The independent Academy of Medical Sciences promotes advances in medical science and campaigns to ensure these are translated into benefits for patients. The Academy’s Fellows are the United Kingdom’s leading medical scientists from hospitals, academia, industry and the public service.

Further details may be obtained athttp://www.acmedsci.ac.uk

For more details about the Centre for Immunology and Infection in the Department of Biology at the University of York, please visit http://www.york.ac.uk/cii/